Should the print match at the seams of a kameez?

What matching actually means

The word covers three different things, and it helps to know which you care about.

• Continuing: the pattern runs across a seam or a buttoned opening as though it had never been cut.
• Mirroring: the left and right halves are symmetrical, with a large motif centred on the front or placed at the same height on both sleeves.
• Levelling: horizontal stripes or the cross-lines of a check meet at the same height where two pieces join, even if the motifs themselves do not continue.

The places it matters most

• Centre front: a big motif cut in half off-centre is the first thing anyone notices.
• Plackets and button fronts: when the garment is closed, stripes and checks should read straight across.
• Patch pockets: a pocket cut to continue the pattern behind it almost disappears; one cut at random looks like a patch.
• Sleeves as a pair: the same part of the design at the same height on each arm.
• Side seams on checks and bold horizontal stripes: the lines should meet level at the hem and hip.
• Collars and yokes: centred, so that the two points or two halves look alike.

Where it cannot be done

A kameez is not a flat rectangle. Side seams slope outwards on an A-line cut, so stripes that meet level at the hip drift apart towards the hem, and vertical stripes meet in a V. A sleeve is eased into a curved armhole, so a check can be matched at one point on the front of the armhole and nowhere else. Shoulder seams, darts and the tapered panels of a flared frock all cut across the pattern at angles.

There are plainer limits too. Matching both side seams and the centre front may be impossible when the body width is not a whole number of repeats. A print that was applied slightly off the grain can be followed, or the grain can be followed, but not both. And matching costs fabric: as a rule of thumb, allow an extra pattern repeat for each main piece. An unstitched suit has a fixed length, so a large repeat may mean choosing between a matched front and a longer kameez. Our guide to checking you have enough fabric shows how to measure what you have.

Fabrics where the question changes

Many lawn shirts are printed as a panel, with the front, back and sleeves each designed as a complete picture. There the mill has already placed the pattern, and the job is to centre each piece and keep its length. Woven patterns such as jacquard repeat regularly and can usually be centred and levelled. Checks and stripes are the most demanding, because the eye follows a straight line across a seam without being asked.

What to say when it matters to you

Do not assume. Write it down, and rank it: “centre the large flower on the front”, “level the checks at the side seams”, “same motif on both sleeves”, or “symmetry matters more to me than length”. Add a photo of the whole fabric opened out, with a tape measure across it, so that the repeat can be seen.

With our unstitched suit stitching service, this goes in the notes of your Stitching Only quote request. We tell you what the fabric allows before you post it, and the placement you agree is recorded at design approval before anything is cut.